Milwaukee’s skyline as seen from near South Shore Park in the Bay View neighborhood.

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The state Public Service Commission recently ruled that the City of Milwaukee may not pass on the cost of relocating utilities for a streetcar project to ratepayers. The decision has revived allegations that Republicans have something against Milwaukee, which is not true.

When I moved to Milwaukee 13 years ago, I immediately fell in love with this great city. The Milwaukee area is where I want to raise a family, build a business, give back and retire. The policies that my colleagues and I have fought for reflect our genuine efforts to move Milwaukee forward.

The City of Milwaukee receives more state aid than the other 39 largest municipalities combined. Republicans also have put their money where their mouth is by increasing transit aid to Milwaukee County. When Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele visited us in the Capitol and made a compelling case that additional transit funding was critical to connecting inner city workers with jobs, we listened and increased funding.

Stories of shootings in Milwaukee's inner city need to be addressed. State Rep. Mike Kuglitsch (R-New Berlin) took a look at the ShotSpotter system. With close coordination with Milwaukee Police Chief Edward Flynn and Ald. Bob Donovan, Republicans designated money to Milwaukee to expand the cutting-edge system that will be critical to fighting crime in Milwaukee's toughest neighborhood. Not a single city in the state was provided with ShotSpotter funds except Milwaukee.

No other part of the state is undergoing so many large transformative transportation projects. The Zoo Interchange and the Hoan Bridge will reduce gridlock and beautify the city. Special legislation was passed to further develop Milwaukee's lakefront. The Transform Milwaukee initiative is a public-private partnership that recently celebrated its second anniversary. It focuses on the industrial, residential and transportation areas connecting Milwaukee's 30th St. Industrial Corridor, Menomonee Valley, Port of Milwaukee and the Aerotropolis, south of Mitchell International Airport. Major projects include $20 million in tax credits for the Global Water Accelerator. Transform Milwaukee supports the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority and its efforts to provide new housing and financing options in Milwaukee's underserved neighborhoods.

The Republican-led tax cuts this session, although not Milwaukee-specific, will mean Milwaukee residents will see income tax cuts and will make housing more affordable by lowering property taxes. Milwaukee County will realize $49 million in property tax relief. While cutting taxes, the safety net was enhanced to provide Badgercare to every resident in poverty for the first time in Wisconsin history.

Milwaukee also will benefit from the elimination of its strict residency rule. One of the chief reasons residency was lifted was we believed Milwaukee Public Schools should be able to recruit the best teachers in the region, not just Milwaukee. MPS received state aid of $14,406 per student. The per-pupil average statewide funding was $12,604. We know Milwaukee's educational challenges will not be addressed by throwing more money at the problem, which is why bold education reforms have been implemented to provide options to Milwaukee's parents.

Rep. Joe Sanfelippo (R-West Allis) and Sen. Leah Vukmir (R-Wauwatosa) made bold, overdue reforms to Milwaukee County's mental health system. The problems in the system were horrific and well-documented in the Journal Sentinel's "Chronic Crisis" series. Sanfelippo and Vukmir also took on the dysfunctional County Board with the strong support of significant majorities of county residents. The county reforms were supported by both parties as demonstrated by a 70% referendum vote supporting the downgrade of the board to part time.

Republicans are fighting for Milwaukee residents when it comes to the proposed downtown streetcar. The change in state law simply protects the vast majority of residents, and surrounding communities, from another tax increase in the form of utility rate increases that subsidize a transit project for Milwaukee's wealthiest neighborhood. It's telling that when the utilities were going to pick up the tab, the utility costs were estimated as high as $65 million, but now that the city needs to absorb the cost, city officials have been able to reduce the cost to $20 million. For good reason, mass transit has been the role of Milwaukee County, not the City of Milwaukee, but state law does not prevent the city from developing a streetcar. Even in "fighting the streetcar," we are protecting Milwaukee's inner city, which requires real transit solutions and would be disproportionally affected by higher utility costs.

We are not at war with Milwaukee. In fact, we are waging a war for Milwaukee. This past weekend's Republican convention in Milwaukee is just another small way that Republicans want to be part of the Milwaukee community and tackle Milwaukee's public policy issues.